


Terrible Things

by phanpuppies



Category: Phan, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009 Phan, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, Bottom!Dan, DAN AND PHIL - Freeform, Fluff, Gay, Getting Together, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phandom - Freeform, Sad!Dan, Songfic, coffee shop AU, future smut probably, top!phil, waiter!phil, what are tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-25 19:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4972828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phanpuppies/pseuds/phanpuppies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phan coffee shop au- Phil is a friendly waiter at the local Caribou Coffee, and Dan is at a low in his life until he meets the boy with eyes like diamonds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Roughly based on/inspired by the song Terrible Things by Mayday Parade. I know it's a sad song but please give this fic some time, it's going to be cute and fluffy I swear c: a few lyrics from the song are included but that doesn't mean someone's gonna die, give me a chance. Please leave comments on how I can improve or what you think, literally it can be super critical or anything I'm just grateful for the help & support <3 Thank you.  
> Also - their ages in this fic are 18 and 22 so basically just imagine 2009 Phan. You're welcome.

 

By the time I was your age, I’d give anything to fall in love, truly- it was all I could think. That’s when I met your father, the boy of my dreams. The most beautiful man that I’d ever seen…

*~*

Dan blinked open his eyes, squinting against the bright morning light. The harsh calls of crows jabbed at his ears. He rolled over onto his stomach, pulling his dark pillow over his head to muffle the noise. After a few minutes the boy groaned, flipping once again onto his back and pushing some curls out of his face before mumbling something about “fucking birds”. He swung his feet over the edge of his bed, sitting up and squinting at the clock, which read 11:30. Peeling the checkered sheets off himself, the boy rubbed his eyes vigorously and attempted to rake his fingers through his tangled hair. He yawned widely and stood up, glancing in the mirror to look at his disheveled, sleepy self before grimacing and making his way to the kitchen.

He shook some cinnamon cereal into a bowl, plopping down into a chair and shoveling it mechanically into his mouth. It was a wednesday, and for some reason he felt like going out to get coffee. He’d been fired from his job the day before (apparently when people left devices logged in to their social media at the apple store you aren’t supposed to hack their account. Who knew?) and he was feeling low. What was he going to do now?

Dan showered quickly and slipped into some black skinny jeans and a greenish plaid shirt, rolling up the sleeves. After painstakingly straightening his long, dark brown hair, he grabbed his flaky wallet and stuck his hands in his pockets, removing them only to open the front door. He began walking down the street toward the local Caribou Coffee. A cold autumn breeze nipped at his face and he ducked his head, approaching the little cafe. He opened the door, feeling the warm air rush by him and breathing in the scent of coffee and wood and feeling the warmth engulf him.

It wasn’t exactly your average coffee shop- the dimly lit room was lined with cushy, worn down couches. Strings of twinkle lights decorated the walls and ceiling and some bean bags rested in corners. Dark oak tables were scattered among the furniture, as though someone had thrown them down randomly from high above. It was less of a shop and more of a sanctuary, tucked away out of sight of the busy city.

A small bell dangling from the door gave a twinkling cry as he walked in. Dan went up to the counter, placing a hand on dark stained wood that was marked and scarred, telling innumerable stories. “Could I have a large Caramel Macchiato?” He always seemed to phrase his orders as questions, despite the fact that, obviously, it wasn’t as if anyone would refuse.

He finally looked up at the man behind the counter and blinked. 'Shit, he’s pretty,' was the first thing that flitted through his mind- like another noisy bird, trying to wake him up. He was a tall guy that looked to be a few years older than Dan. He was wearing a short sleeved yellow and black plaid shirt. He had ivory skin and black hair, with long fringe much like Dan’s, going the opposite direction. However, the most notable thing about him was his eyes. Dan was sure you could go swimming in them. They were a dazzling blue, lined with fragile, light eyelashes that looked like little snowflakes in this space. His mouth went dry as the man gave an adorable half smile that went up a bit higher on the left side, and said brightly, “Yeah! That’s my favorite thing to get here.” He then turned around and busied himself with making the order.

Dan dragged his eyes away from this brilliant light and padded over to his favorite spot, a soft, dark brown bean bag nestled into a far corner. He dropped into the cushion, feeling the foam beads mold around his body, allowing him to sink in. He sighed heavily, pulling out his phone and opening up tumblr, scrolling through the posts and occasionally pressing the small heart.

Eventually the beautiful guy with entire oceans in his eyes came over and set Dan’s espresso drink on an authentic looking round table nearby. Dan glanced up, eyes wide and enraptured, and the man gave a small smile.

“My name’s Phil, by the way.” He murmured, voice low- and winked. Then Phil walked away, into a back room and out of sight. Dan’s tongue was plastered to the roof of his mouth. He frowned slightly, speechless, not liking the way his heart swelled and beat frantically like the wings of butterflies in his stomach whenever he saw this blue eyed boy. The Caribou was barren of customers except for him- it wasn’t an unpopular place, but it was a weekday and most people came here at night or early in the mornings. He sat back, sipping his macchiato contently, pushing away thoughts of finding a job, doing something with his life, etcetera. He thought of Phil and quietly repeating his name, liking the way it rolled off his tongue, sounding like a soft expression, lilting in the middle. It was an entire song curled up into a shimmering word.

After a bit longer of mindless scrolling, he threw away his cup and walked out the door, the bell protesting loudly as he exited the shop. He walked home and trudged to his bedroom, heaving himself onto the dark blanket. He stared at the ceiling, tossing and turning, but all he saw was a pair of bright blue eyes.

*~*

The next week went by in a fog of dry cereal, noodles and tumblr. Dan often found himself forgetting what day it was, with every day the same. He browsed some job openings but never found the energy to follow through with any. Finally, one day he decided to at least leave the house- suddenly he really felt like having a nice hot caramel macchiato. And seeing a certain blue-eyed waiter. He pushed the thought away almost before it had entered his mind, shaking his head as if clearing away a pesky bug. That waiter was nothing special, just a cute guy who happened to serve him. Or at least, that’s what he screamed at himself as he slipped on a Muse shirt and some dark jeans.

After showering and straightening his hair, he tugged on a grey jacket and exited the small apartment. Lost in thought, Dan barely noticed as the people and street signs passed in a blur. Before he knew it, a bell was jingling as pushed open the cold metal door and stepped into the cozy shop. He blinked, shaking his head and bringing himself out of the haze. He looked up as he reached the counter- straight into a pair of twinkling blue eyes. Damn.

So much for convincing himself this man wasn’t special. Phil flashed him a shy smile. “Hi, what can I get you today?”

Dan stammered a little, mind blank, before mechanically listing off his order.

“You were here last week, weren’t you?” the black haired boy pulled his eyebrows together slightly. “On wednesday,” he clarified, and Dan’s heart did several backflips.

'He remembered me oh god wow he didn’t forget wow.'

Dan’s eyes widened. They were the red-brown color of leaves in the fall, sparkling with so many shades of nature. Everything rich and deep, from the soil after rain to a fire licking at a half charred marshmallow. “Yeah, um, sorry, what day is it again?”

Phil gave a laugh and Dan swore it was the purest sound on earth, bright and joyous and simple. “Wednesday,” He replied, and continued “it’s a weird word, isn’t it? It should be pronounced Wed-nes-day, but everyone just says ‘Wensday’. Kind of like bologna.”

Dan giggled quietly at this small ramble, and Phil bounced away to make his drink, going on about how he had thought bologna was a fancy perfume until he was eight. The brown haired boy went to sit in his favorite bean bag, keeping his phone in his pocket this time, just looking around and listening to the peaceful bluegrass music that was waltzing through a few speakers on the walls.

Eventually Phil walked over, a faint raspberry smell lingering around him. He was about to hand Dan the coffee, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he made a wild gesture to Dan’s shirt, nearly spilling the hot beverage all over himself. “Muse is my favorite band!” he practically screeched. Dan grinned. “Oh, same.” Phil turned his head, sky filled gaze flitted around the empty shop, before coming to rest on Dan again. He passed the man his warm foam cup and and their fingers brushed lightly. Dan shivered, and he swore an electric spark ran up his arm, acutely aware of the small touch. Phil then sat down on the torn and sagging green chair next to Dan and began to speak.

They talked for hours, about bands and games and tv shows and everything. Dan found himself laughing uncontrollably and feeling more insanely happy than he had been in- well, in forever.

Phil would occasionally glance around to see if he was needed to work, but his boss, a shorter man with quiffed brown hair named Connor kept waving him off, claiming things were under control even as the shop filled up and emptied again. People were like waves against a beach, finding the sand only to recede again and continue searching in swirls of confusion.

Soon it was dark outside and the shop was quiet again. The low murmur of life had faded away sometime after 8 or 9 o’clock. Connor finally came over to the two and announced that the Caribou was closing in 10 minutes. Dan checked his phone. “Holy shit!” He exclaimed.

“What?” Phil asked quickly.

“It’s already 10:30” Dan looked up and grimaced, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“Oh, oops! Sorry Connor!” Phil called after his coworker. Connor merely raised an overly suggestive eyebrow and smirked, suddenly seeming very busy cleaning stuff in the back room.

Phil shrugged, turning back to Dan with the left side of his mouth quirked upward. “Alright, well I should probably help him. See you next Wednesday?” His light eyebrows lifted closer to his fringe, his face glowing with hope. His hand brushed against Dan’s again as he casually placed a small piece of paper in the younger man's hand.

Dan looked down at the paper with a phone number on it and grinned. “Sure.”

'Is this a date holy fuck ahh damn no way stop it Dan.'

“Wednesday.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!  
> So first of all I'm sorry that I haven't updated in literally forever and that this chapter isn't super long either, but I promise the next one won't be so short. I just really wanted to get chapter two done by Christmas, so here I am at 20 minutes to midnight on Christmas Eve, finally posting this. Whoops. It was originally going to have more content but I decided to save it for the next chapter, which hopefully won't take so long! Especially if I get ADHD meds that actually work this time. Again, I'm sorry for the delay, I really am trying my hardest. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this fic despite my several month long pause. :)

The next week moved much like the last in a slow, muddy twist of excitement and nerves. When Dan wasn’t obsessively texting Phil about fandoms, bands, video games and more, he was thinking about him. Completely normal things of course, like how he looked when he was overflowing with joy, or what his lips would feel like when pressed against Dan’s. Like he said, normal…

 

Dan posted a few lovestruck things on tumblr- despite being uninteresting and all around lame, he was actually fairly popular on social media. He didn’t really get it, but he was still grateful for everyone who put up with his existential crises and liked his weird late night ramblings.

 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he was striding down the streets of Manchester one hazy Wednesday morning. Funny, now that it was over, that eternity felt like nothing more than a single moment. As if nothing at all had happened since the last time he had seen Phil. Everything was just Phil and nothing else mattered. He probably needed help.

 

The jingle of a bell interrupted his thoughts, and suddenly he found himself in the snug cafe, the secure feeling of the place like wrapping up in a soft blanket. Dan blinked dazedly, shaking his head a bit in an attempt to clear his mind, shoving his conscience into the present. He walked forward a few steps, and the tussle of black hair behind the rustic counter looked up cheerfully, revealing what was becoming a familiar face. “Hey, Dan!” Phil’s mouth blossomed into a bright grin.

 

“Hi,” Dan smiled back shyly, reaching up to push his fringe back from his face and ordering his usual caramel macchiato.

 

“Of course! I’ll get right on that.” The older man said enthusiastically, shuffling around behind the counter. It reminded Dan of some sort of modern, clumsy dance. Or maybe that was just the effect of the little awkward twirls Phil tossed into his routine as he turned toward the wall and grabbed a red mug, or when he slid over to the corner to push down the lever on the coffee machine. Dan smiled to himself, muttering _“cute”_ under his breath as he went to his cozy dark corner.

 

After about five minutes Phil walked over to Dan, setting his coffee down on the little vitange table next to him. Which, to be completely honest, looked like it would have crumbled into nothing but sawdust if a particularly strong wind chose to drift through the open window just then.

 

Speaking of the window… Dan was freezing. It was another grey day in England, chilly and foggy. He really should have worn something more than just a short sleeve shirt. The boy attempted to suppress a shiver as another gust of biting air slipped inside, but was, for the most part, unsuccessful. Phil noticed this, and tilted his head as he looked down at Dan. “Are you cold?” He asked, not unkindly.

 

Dan shook his head, rubbing his arms a little. “No, it’s alright, I’m fine.” Phil seemed not to have heard him, because he began pulling off his own dark sweater to reveal a pale grey t-shirt.

 

“I can’t close the window or this place will heat up like an oven and I’ll be fired on my day off, but you can have this- I’m too hot anyway.” Phil held out his jacket to the younger boy, who twisted his hand into it after a moment's hesitation and briefly hugged it to his chest.

 

“Why are you here if it’s your day off?” Dan asked, slipping the loose sweater over his black v-neck shirt and fixing his ruffled fringe.

 

“Because it’s Wednesday,” The pale boy said, like it was a perfectly reasonable excuse. “and I wanted to see you.”

 

“Oh.” Dan said in a tiny voice.

 

Phil quirked his mouth into a little smile. Jesus Christ, was this boy always smiling? “Good thing it’s cold out, because you look really cute in that.”

 

Dan blushed heavily, opening his mouth and taking a breath as if to speak only to close it again after a moment. Phil chuckled as Dan sat there blankly, continuing to go through the peculiar motion a few more times. He looked a bit like a fish. Finally, Dan found his voice. “I- I don’t. I’m not-” he cut himself off, swallowing and looking down at his shoes in embarrassment, his face somehow managing to flush a deeper shade of red. Maybe he was better off with his ability to speak thrown somewhere far, far away. Where he could never find it again. Ever.

 

The older man giggled again at this, bringing a hand up to partially cover his mouth. He sat down next to the boy in the same sagging red chair as the day before, leaning forward and turning his head to look at him. He flicked his head to the side slightly to get the hair out of his eyes. “What’s the matter, Bear? Cat got your tongue?” he teased, his own tongue poking out from between his teeth. Dan ducked his head, shuffling his feet and twisting his sweater covered hands into each other, clearly distressed. Phil’s expression instantly softened as he realized this, the smiling falling off his face as it was replaced by a worried, apologetic look.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable? I wasn’t trying to, I swear. I’m like that with all my friends and I forgot that we don’t know each other that well yet.” Okay, that was kind of a lie, he wasn’t usually this flirty or mischievous, but he _was_ sorry.

 

Dan quickly looked up at the man next to him.  “No, don’t be sorry. I’m just a bit shy I guess. Also, really bad with words.” He let out a nervous laugh, self-consciously scratching the back of his neck.

 

Phil’s smile was back again, although it was a little less certain this time. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not exactly my cup of tea either.” Dan smiled, and from there, the conversation simply _flowed_ , just like it had the other day. Neither of them really noticed it, too caught up in their conversation, but they strung one topic to another seamlessly, and talked nonstop with no pauses to search for a way to fill the silence. Both boys felt like their mouths were far too small for all the things they wanted to say, so they just kept going.

 

Dan was laughing, really laughing and he couldn’t remember the last time he smiled this much, or felt so content. Phil finished up another ridiculous childhood story about trying to flatten himself- he really was a weird kid- and Dan was bent in half, dark fringe falling in front of his face as he giggled loudly, sounding a bit like a hyena. That had just inhaled helium. Or something. “My god Phil, are you even real?”

 

“Probably not.” Phil said with a straight face before grinning, brushing the hair out of his eyes and Dan swore they fucking sparkled. Who has eyes that actually sparkle?? That’s it, Phil is definitely not real. And speaking of his eyes, upon further inspection Dan discovered they were not simply blue. They were a bit greenish with little flecks of yellow and you could certainly get lost in them if you weren’t careful. Dan has only known Phil a few weeks now and he’s already learned that.

 

In fact, it was happening now. Shit. Dan blinked rapidly, leaning back in his seat and focusing on the floor at his feet. Phil must have noticed him staring, and he probably had obvious “heart eyes” or whatever. Although, he might be more embarrassed if he hadn’t caught the man doing the same thing multiple times, as well as flirting ruthlessly any chance he got. It almost seemed like he _liked_ Dan, and he didn’t exactly seem straight. However, Dan couldn’t figure out why he would like him and determined that he was probably just blinded by his hope for this to be true. But, he supposed you never got anywhere in life without taking risks every now and then. So really, fuck it.

 

“Um, Phil? I… Can I tell you something?” he choked out. Dammit. Typical Dan, put it off, do it later. Procrastinate even in your speech.

 

“Yeah, of course Dan.” Phil smiled softly, and the gently encouraging look on his face almost seemed like he already knew what the other boy was going to say. Almost.

 

“I- like you. A lot.” Dan mumbled, fiddling with a thread hanging off of his grey jeans, staring intently at his trembling hand in an attempt to block out the sight of Phil gazing at him thoughtfully in his peripheral vision. Then his features cracked into a little smile.

 

“I get the feeling you don’t mean that as a friend.”

 

Dan shook his head, face flushed a heated pink.

 

Phil giggled quietly, “I like you too, weirdo.”

 

Dan lifted his head abruptly to stare at the man with wide brown eyes. “Wait, really?”

 

“Yes, really. Why did you think I was flirting with you incessantly?” The older man shook his head, though the smile had yet to leave his face. “You’re cute and you’re sweet and I can talk about anything with you. It feels like we just sort of go together nicely.”

 

“I- I mean… I- you-” Dan stammered before Phil quickly cut him off, partly out of sympathy.

 

“Would you like to hang out sometime? Like, you know, as a date?”

 

“But I’m trash.” The younger man protested instantly, seeming genuinely confused. He then proceeded to cringe because really, how could he expect to get a date if he merely insulted himself in answer?

 

Phil laughed again, looking bemusedly at Dan. “Well in that case, as someone who cares a lot about the environment, I feel deeply obligated to pick you up. Is 7:00 Friday night good?” He saw the chance to use this pickup line from tumblr and yes, he totally took it.

 

Dan finally smiled, and it was a shy smile, a bit uncertain and embarrassed, but it was there all the same. “Yeah, okay. By the way, you know you’re a complete loser for using a tumblr post to invite me on a date, right?”

 

Phil shrugged slightly, smirking. “Yeah, guess I am. But so are you for knowing about it.”

 

“Oh, shut up,” Dan laughed. He noticed with some interest that the older boys tongue was pressed between his teeth once more. Okay, that was pretty cute. Dan looked down again, but this time the faint curl of his lips remained.

 

After they talked for a bit longer, Phil sat up in his chair and glanced at the scratched face of a clock on the wall across from him which read 8:30. “I have to go right about now, but I’ll see you Friday, yeah?”

 

“Alright,” Dan said, happiness evident in his voice. “By the way, where are we even going?”

 

Phil winked. “That’s a surprise,” he whispered roughly, standing up before stretching, arching his back. His shirt lifted a little, revealing for a split second the edge of a sharp hipbone before he slouched, rolling his shoulders slightly. He looked back over at Dan, whose mouth worked for a few second before he was able to speak.

 

“Uh- here, do you want your shirt back?” He began grasping at the hem to pull it off, but Phil held out a hand to signal him to stop.

  
“No, I’ll be alright, thanks. You keep it. You need to walk home in this,” He gestured to the window, where outside the sky was darkening and a light mist was falling, “and besides, it’ll give you some incentive to see me again.” The side of his mouth curved upward, and with a little wave he was gone, before Dan could tell him he didn’t need a borrowed sweater to convince him to go on a date with Phil. The bells at the door tinkled forlornly behind the black haired man, and Dan sighed quietly, sitting back in his bean bag with a small smile playing at his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will (hopefully) be pretty long and so fluffy and sickeningly sweet that you may choke so just be safe. Thanks for reading this, kudos and comments make me really really happy if you want to leave any. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of a short chapter, oh well. I'm hoping the next one will be up soon, but I've been very busy with school and personal stuff lately so sorry if it's a little while!  
> Update: So I was just diagnosed with ADHD which is probably not helping with my writing this, but I'm starting medication for it soon so hopefully I'll magically be able to focus for the first time in basically my whole life & write a bunch. Forgive me for being so slow. The second chapter is almost done, so that should be up in a little bit, and sorry for the wait. Thank you for being so patient!! :)


End file.
